


RyuAnn Week '19

by BlueCrownFics



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Anonymous Love Notes, Clothing swap, F/M, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Mutual Pining, RyuAnn Week 2019, duck motif strikes again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-06 04:14:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17932616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueCrownFics/pseuds/BlueCrownFics
Summary: “What are you doing out here? It’s raining.”“Well it wasn’t supposed to,” She huffed. “Makoto, Haru, and I planned to get together today and I thought it’d be a great idea to do a little shopping before then but—” she gestured to the area around them, soaking wet and devoid of people. “—I guess that’s out of the question. What are you doing outside?”Ryuji gave her a lazy smile. “Oh you know, just thought I’d take a stroll in the shitty weather.”





	1. Day 2: Clotheswap

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my super late RyuAnn week submission with an uncreative title because I'm a terrible person and was swamped with p5 bang stuff!!
> 
> I may not do all the days, but I plan on doing my favorite prompts. This is for Day 2!
> 
> Thank you to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/works)for editing my mistakes ♥

The torrential downpour was something Ann hadn’t expected. As she stood beneath the protective barrier of the storefront banner, she eyed the heavy, ominous looking skies. The clouds were thick and dark; billowing across the sky like a black ocean. Lightning streaked across the dark veil as thunder rumbled. She felt the vibrations beneath her feet and grimaced.

The disappointment weighing heavily in her heart was unlike anything she’d felt in a while.

The past week had been nothing but a nightmare, what with the latest school drama and rumors nipping at her heels, she’d been looking forward to spending the day out with the girls. She’d spent the entirety of last week planning an outfit just for today. She eyed the wet soggy mess that was once clothes. Her cute, mini skirt hung dangerously low on her hips and her stylish rose-colored top stuck to her body like an unwanted second skin. The chill from the rain sank deep into her body, chilling her to the bone. She shivered. 

“Great,” She grumbled to no one. “I’m going to catch a cold at this rate.”

“Hey!” 

Ann glanced over her shoulder in time to catch sight of Ryuji jogging toward her, a joyful grin stretched across his face. She lit up as he approached, unbelievably relieved for his timely appearance.

“What are you doing out here? It’s raining.”

“Well it wasn’t  _ supposed  _ to,” She huffed. “Makoto, Haru, and I planned to get together today and I thought it’d be a great idea to do a little shopping before then but—” she gestured to the area around them, soaking wet and devoid of people. “—I guess  _ that’s  _ out of the question. What are you doing outside?”

Ryuji gave her a lazy smile. “Oh you know, just thought I’d take a stroll in the shitty weather.”

“ _ Ryuji _ \--”

“I kid, I kid. Actually, I saw you outside my window and thought you’d need some help.”

Ann frowned. “Window?" She queried.

With a simple nod, Ryuji pointed into the direction Ann had passed earlier. The shopping district she found herself in wasn’t one of her usual routes, but the familiarity of the street had kept her from leaving. Now she remembered why.

“C’mon,” Ryuji started, holding out his umbrella toward the girl. “Do you  _ wanna  _ catch a cold out here or do you wanna go someplace dry?”

Ann eyed his offered umbrella for a moment then gave him an impish smile. “Look at you, acting all gentleman-like. Okay! As long as you don’t mind me raiding your sweets.”

She didn’t wait for Ryuji’s response as she set out from underneath the storefront banner. He followed behind, spluttering and stammering about something Ann couldn’t hear over the loud shower of rain.

* * *

Ryuji’s apartment was modest at best. It was small and surprisingly neat despite being the home to Ryuji Sakamoto and despite the haphazard way in which Ryuji removed his wet, dirty shoes, Ann found the home to be wonderfully cozy and warm. 

“Wanna drink?” He asked, disappearing into the kitchen.

“Water would be nice,” she beamed then wandered into the living room curiously. 

There wasn’t much for her to look at, but the various pictures of Ryuji in various stages of his life caught her attention before anything else could. She hummed to herself as she examined the images then chuckled.

“Sometimes I forget how cute you were as a kid,” She giggled. She heard the other boy splutter in embarrassment from the kitchen. “It’s such a shame. I wondered what happened?”

“HEY!” He squeaked, poking his head from the kitchen and giving her a dark glare. “Is that any way to treat someone who rescued you from the rain?”

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” She smiled genuinely. “Thank you, Ryuji. You really didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he huffed, his cheeks tinged pink. “I told you already, it’s no problem.” He handed her a cup of water and watched as she drank it greedily. He cleared his throat. “But, uh, d-do you have anything to change into? I can toss your clothes in the dryer in the meanwhile.”

Ann glanced down at her soggy clothes, her empty hands—save for the cup she held—and then turned back to Ryuji with a blank stare.

He rolled his eyes. “Alright, I get it. Jeez. I think I have somethin’. C’mon.”

He led her to down the hall and into his bedroom. Ann hesitated by the doorway, the mere thought of her being alone with Ryuji—a  _ boy _ —in  _ his  _ room crossed her mind, but just as quickly as the thought came, she shoved it aside. Now was not the time to be thinking about such unnecessary things. Still, Ann hovered by the doorway, feeling her body tremble slightly from the lingering, cold, raindrops.

Ryuji shuffled through his messy closet and pulled out a worn, faded black T-shirt. Whatever design had adorned the shirt could barely be seen under the lighting of the room. He waved the shirt around, shaking off the dust and lint before handing it to her with a proud grin.

“You can change into this! It was always kinda too big for me when I was a kid, but it should fit ya just fine. I’ll see if my mom has some pants for you to wear. She’s kinda small and you’re, uh—” Brown eyes gazed up and down Ann’s body faster than she could call him out on it. “—kinda not.” He finished lamely.

Ann chuckled. She took the t-shirt from him and smiled appreciatively. “Thanks. Where’s your bathroom?”

“Uh, t-t-to your left,” Ryuji coughed, suddenly red. “J-just leave your clothes on the counter. I'll get to it when you’re done.”

“And the pants?”

“RIGHT! HANG ON.” He dashed out of the room before Ann could get another word in.

With a playful roll of her eyes, she stepped back into the hall and approached the first door she spotted on the left. The Sakamoto bathroom was just as small and cute as the rest of the apartment. The tiles were impressively white with a cute yellow duck motif littered around the room. Ann couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she picked up a toothbrush holder decorated in yellow duckies.

“Hey—” Ann nearly jumped out of her skin and whipped her head around to Ryuji. He held out a pair of shorts to her and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry. Did I scare you?”

“It’s fine. Thank you.”

“I’ll be in the living room. Just, uh, let me know when you’re done.”

* * *

Ryuji’s old black t-shirt was large, larger than she expected it to be when he first pulled it out of the closet. It draped down her body like a massive sheet and, despite wearing his mother’s shorts, hung down to her thighs, hiding the shorts from view. She eyed herself carefully, biting her lower lip. The shirt smelled like fresh laundry despite sitting in Ryuji’s closet for who knows how long, and faintly, when she brought the neckline to her nose, she could smell the distinct scent that was entirely Ryuji.

She cleared her throat, fighting off the heat that threatened to overcome her face and stepped into the living room, her wet clothes piled neatly in her hands.

“So your dryer?” She asked. 

Ryuji whipped his head around, mouth open to respond, but no sound came. Instead, he gaped at her like a fish. She shuffled nervously under his gaze. He shook his head hard.

“Y-yeah! Yeah, yeah.” He stammered, clambering to his feet. “Yeah.  _ yeah _ .”

“Are you okay?”

“ _ Yeah _ ,” He choked. He nearly tripped over his own feet showing her the way to the laundry room, laundry still an impossible feat for him.

Ann could only laugh.


	2. Day 4: Free Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: Free Day for RyuAnn Week
> 
> The first letter she receives is a pleasant-but-curious surprise. The characters are written neatly despite being pressed harshly into the lined sheet of paper, and while Ann is curious as to who would go through the trouble of sticking a cute note into her shoebox, she can’t help but feel giddy. She unfolds the note and carefully reads and rereads the letter.
> 
> It isn’t long or particularly poetic. In fact, it’s only one line and two words:
> 
> (You’re cute.)
> 
> She chuckles to herself, slips the note into her bag and changes her shoes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me ages to write but I finally finished it. Its short, but hopefully sweet! Thank you to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for betaing, as always <3

The first letter she receives is a pleasant-but-curious surprise. The characters are written neatly despite being pressed harshly into the lined sheet of paper, and while Ann is curious as to who would go through the trouble of sticking a cute note into her shoebox, she can’t help but feel giddy. She unfolds the note and carefully reads and rereads the letter.

It isn’t long or particularly poetic. In fact, it’s only one line and two words:

_ You’re cute. _

She chuckles to herself, slips the note into her bag and changes her shoes.

* * *

The second letter appears during lunch period. She’s getting ready to join Makoto and Haru on a much-needed girl’s only lunchtime when the folded note falls out of her desk. Curious, she plucks it from the ground and unfolds it.

In those same, hard pressed, neatly written characters, is a new sentence:

_ Whenever you smile, the whole room lights up. _

She feels a blush crawl along her cheeks and has a hard time keeping her giggles contained. She pockets the new note and hurries out of the classroom with her bento box.

“I can’t wait for the girls to hear about this,” she giggles again, her cheeks still a rosy pink.

* * *

The third note appears at the end of the day. When Ann bids her farewell to Akira and Mona, she finds the note tucked haphazardly between the wall of the box and her shoe. Eagerly, she pulls the note out and opens it.

The characters are less neat and the pressure in which her secret admirer uses to write them isn’t nearly as intense as the first two. If anything, Ann thinks her secret admirer wrote this note recently and the thought of knowing her admirer was somewhere close by sends a shiver of excitement and embarrassment through her.

She steals a look over her shoulder, but finds the hallway devoid of students. Haru and Makoto are still in school, busy with their after-school activities and she knows Ryuji is gone for the day, doing whatever it is he does when he’s not watching the track students practice.

For a brief moment, Ann’s thoughts wander toward Akira and Morgana, but as quickly as the idea pops into her head, she shoves it aside. She’d been with Akira most of the day and she highly doubted Morgana would have Akira write anonymous letters for her, when the feline had always spewed his love and devotion to her so easily in person.

She turns her attention back to the letter, a gentle, warm smile gracing her lips. She reads it, eager to know what else her secret admirer had to say:

_ I always thought you were beautiful. Inside and out. _

The sigh she releases is long and heavy. Her heart feels warm.

“Who are you?” She asks no one.

* * *

“A secret-what-now?” Ryuji asks when Ann brings it up during one of their Mementos meetings.

There’s a quiet lull among the group as Makoto, Futaba and Morgana disappear downstairs into LeBlanc for snack refills. Ryuji munches on a bag of chips, his feet kicked up onto the table as he balances himself in his chair. Yusuke and Akira are off to the side, their voices barely above a whisper as they converse privately. Haru enjoys her coffee silently, a pleasant smile on her face as she watches Ann and Ryuji.

Ann dips a carrot into chocolate pudding and swirls it around, a slight smug smirk on her lips. “A secret admirer,” She says again. “You know, like when a guy has a secret crush on a girl and he sends her gifts to win her favor?”

“Sounds creepy,” Ryuji grunts. He throws a handful of chips into his mouth and chews.

Ann rolls her eyes. “It’s not creepy, Ryuji. It’s  _ romantic. _ ”

“I must agree,” Haru says before Ryuji can swallow his mouthful of chips. “The letters you’ve been getting are very sweet.”

Ryuji’s chair legs slam onto the floor, his brow furrowed. “Sweet?”

Ann beams. “Yeah! They’re so cute! Look, I still have them in my bag.” She pulls out the folded notes from her school bag and scatters them across the table for Haru and Ryuji to see. She hands Haru her favorite letter, it’s the most recent one from the bunch, having found it on her way out of school today and giggles gleefully when Haru’s cheeks turn pink.

“Oh my, how very eloquent,” Haru giggles, handing Ann the letter again. “How long has this been going on?”

“About a week now. I get maybe three or two every day.” She eyes the small pile of folded notes, each of them written on various styles of papers, from lined notebook paper to looseleaf printer paper. Her favorite is written on a small sheet with yellow ducks adorning the corners. A sense of familiarity tickles the back of her mind, but Ann can’t remember when and where she’d seen the duck design before.

She turns her attention back to Ryuji, suddenly noticing his peculiar silence. He’s glaring at the folded notes, the apples of his cheeks tinged pink.

Ann suddenly laughs. “What’s that face for? Are you  _ jealous _ ?” She teases.

Ryuji splutters. “I ai-ain’t jealous! Just annoyed.”

“That sounds like you're jealous.”

“Oh please! Who’d bother writing  _ you _ love notes?” He grumbles, but grimaces the moment the words leave his lips.

Ann tries her best to keep the hurt from her face despite the painful squeeze she feels in her chest. She shoots Ryuji a dark glare and watches as he sputters out an apology. Haru’s quiet giggling behind her eases the sting just a little.

“I-I-I mean, not like there’s anything  _ wrong  _ with you. You’re hot—I mean—you’re not. You are, but you know what I mean? Like when you smile the whole room lights up—I mean, like, you have a nice smile. It makes me happy, you know? Like a friendly smile, not a sexy smile—even though—never mind. Like a friend-friend smile. The smile you’d give to your friends—YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!” He screeches, his face several shades of red.

Ann blinks in confusion. The silence that permeates the room is far too heavy for her liking. From the corner of her eye, she catches sight of Yusuke and Akira, staring at them from the far wall. She can feel Haru’s eyes penetrating through her back. Ryuji buries his face behind his hands, his ears dangerously red. The groan he releases is almost agonizing.

Ann presses a hand against her chest, suddenly breathless and giddy.

“Th-thanks, Ryuji,” She manages slowly. Heat crawls up the nape of her neck. “I get what you mean.”

“Good,” He mutters behind his palms. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go die.”

“Wait, who’s dying and why wasn’t I invited to the killing party?” Futaba asks the moment she returns with Makoto and Morgana in tow.

Ryuji’s groans in dismay.

* * *

Later that night, alone in her room, Ann gathers the love notes together and examines them carefully. The first three notes, the ones she received earlier in the week, were written as neatly as possible compared to the rest. Every day since then, the writing grew messier and messier until the last note, the one on the duck decorated sheet, was something she found almost unrecognizable and yet so terribly familiar.

She’d seen this writing before, but where? When? From who?

Ann heaves a heavy sigh and falls back into her chair. She thinks back toward earlier today, to Ryuji’s nonsensical and panicked ramblings.

_ “You’re hot—I mean—you’re not. You are, but you know what I mean? Like when you smile the whole room lights up—I mean, like, you have a nice smile. It makes me happy, you know?” _

Heat sears across her cheeks as she giggles. She turns her attention back toward the clutter of notes, a lazy smile on her lips.

“Thanks, Ryuji,” She whispers softly then frowns as realization dawns on her. “Oh  _ duh _ , what am I doing?”

She picks up her phone from the corner of the table and opens a new chat message under Ryuji’s message.

 

TAKAMAKI ANN (10:35 PM): Thanks Ryuji (/ω＼)

SAKAMOTO RYUJI (10:35 PM): uh for what?

TAKAMAKI ANN (10:35 PM): :D

 

She sets her phone aside as a rush of giddiness courses through her veins. She crawls onto her bed and shoves her face into the pillows, a string of bubbly laughter leaving her lips.

 

SAKAMOTO RYUJI (10:36 PM): That’s really cryptic Ann. For what?

SAKAMOTO RYUJI (10:37 PM): Hello???

SAKAMOTO RYUJI (10:38 PM): HELLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO???

SAKAMOTO RYUJI (10:40 PM): Am I going to die?

SAKAMOTO RYUJI (10:45 PM): DAMMIT ANN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nadacreates?lang=en)   
>  [tumblr](http://nadacreates.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry if it ends a little abruptly, but it was getting longer than I wanted it to be OTL. I may come back to add some more but I think where I left off is pretty good as is.


End file.
